411 Midseason Review

Hey guys,

The All-Star break is a perfect time to reflect, so on today’s show Mike and Cory unveiled the 411’s midseason All-Surprise, All-Disappointment and All-Fantasy teams while also grading their preseason picks. Below you’ll find the rosters for the three teams in addition to an Excel spreadsheet with all the grades.

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18 Comments

Take a look at this article about Strasburg from Yahoo.com. The guy pretty much says that since the Nationals are rigidly sticking to Strasburg’s 160 inning limit, he’ll be done pitching by early September, which is 4 weeks before the end of my fantasy season. Should I be concerned that I’m gonna lose one of my Aces in the home stretch? Should I start thinking about a trade as the end draws near? I’m doing really well at this point and I don’t want to get caught in the playoffs with a guy I can’t use. What do you think?

Okay guys, just curious about your opinion on this. As commish of an 11 team Yahoo mixed league, I opted to let the league votes decide vetoes. The league voted down the following trade, of which I also voted against it:

First place team trades last place team. First place team gets Justin Upton, Shin Soo Choo (before Choo’s injury), and Aramis Ramirez. Last place team gets Josh Johnson, Ichiro, and Chone Figgins.

I thought this was VERY lopsided, and didn’t see the benefit of the last place team making this trade. Upton and Johnson are the best two players in this trade, and if it is argued that they are worth each other in a one-for-one trade, then there is no way Choo and Aramis are worth Ichiro and Figgins the rest of the way, in my opinion. Yours?

I have held onto 1st place for most of 1st half, but slipped to 3rd place in 11 team keeper league (cumulative point structure). I don’t want to be complacent, but I think I have a strong team (especially if Panda would start hitting). Therefore, I am faced with one big question heading into 2nd half…How can I improve on my team to help climb back to the top? Do you see any holes I NEED to fill (i.e. starting pitching) or offer advice on upgrades I might target (where can I make sacrifices)?

Yeah, I’m in full agreement with this article and would start exploring trade options now before the entire world catches on to the innings limit factor. In head-to-head leagues, it’s even more important to shop Strasburg, especially if you’re pretty much assured of a playoff spot. I might try to wait a couple more weeks, but if you get a strong offer now, don’t be afraid to take it.
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ggmann,

I actually have no idea why the league considered this lopsided. Before Choo’s injury, I would’ve viewed the Ichiro for Choo swap as pretty much a wash and A-Ram vs. Figgins as an exchange of one under-performing veteran for another. But if the league uses a vote system and the deal was vetoed, I think you have to go by the league rules. Now in light of the Choo injury, I doubt the first place team would still want to do it, so this issue is probably a moot point anyway.

Thanks for the tip Zach. I noticed one of the guys in my league has CC Sabathia on the trading block. Should I offer Strasburg for him now? In a few weeks? Is there someone better I should try for, like Halladay, Jimenez or Lincecum etc? I know I can get an Ace-caliber pitcher for Strasburg so that leaves a short list of possible options and I don’t want to sit on my hands and wait for an offer because time is short before people get wise. Do you agree?

Really depends on the point values but one thing I notice is that your outfield could use some improvement. Pence is having a down year and I’m not exactly sure what to expect from Beltran when he returns later this week. Your starting pitching is solid but you might want to add some depth there as well, as it’s my understanding that pitching is valued more heavily in point leagues than in roto formats. But all in all, you are in third place so you must be doing something right!
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Adam,

I’m fine with that trade as Prado to Zim is a considerable upgrade, Marmol is an elite closer and Bautista is still in my view a great sell-high guy. But what about the idea (as discussed above) of seeing what you can get for Strasburg rather than dealing Lincecum? What exactly are you trying to do in this deal? Maybe there’s a way to address your needs on a smaller scale where you wouldn’t have to give up Tiny Tim. Just a thought.
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whattatrout,

I’m not all too concerned about A-Rod as he’s really starting to find his power stroke after a somewhat slow start and just happens to be one of the top power hitters of this generation. Upton, like most other young hitters, is streaky, but at the end of the season I think the numbers will be there. Hawpe concerns me a bit as he’s always banged up and has experienced a home run decline over the past few seasons. But he’s someone you’ll probably just have to hold onto rather than trade as, in all likelihood, you’re not going to get a satisfactory return at this time.
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Glenn,

If I knew that you could get CC for Strasburg right now, I would’ve said to do the deal immediately. Any one of those top SPs would be an outstanding return for a guy who will get shut down in six weeks and miss the most important part of your fantasy season.

I’m not all that optimistic about Bay, who has still yet to string together a strong stretch of games. It’s looking like 2010 might just be a lost season for him. Maybe Beltran’s return helps but I wouldn’t count on it. Overall, I don’t really see many weaknesses on that team aside from perhaps shortstop. As I mentioned yesterday, I’m all for trying to trade Strasburg now while you can get a hefty return so maybe he can bring back either an elite level SS or an upgrade at SS plus a solid high-strikeout SP. As for the trade, I think you can do better for Strasburg. Where would you even play Bay? Quentin, Rios and Young are all better starting options. With Choo also on the roster, your outfield is fine…no need to tinker there.
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Mike,

Personally, I doubt that all three of those Toronto relievers will be traded. But if that does happen, I think Casey Janssen, who did save six games for the Jays back in 2007, is the logical choice to close. Not too many unstable closer situations in the AL but a few other names that come to mind are League, Putz, Thornton and of course Rodney, though it’s unlikely that these guys are available. Perez is the no doubt fallback option in Cleveland. He still has very strong numbers.
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dballer,

Pass on dealing either Holliday or Crawford for Kershaw. As we always say on the 411, value hitters over pitchers and these are elite bats we’re talking about. Plus, you say you’re doing well, so why try to fix what isn’t broken?

Oswalt would interest me the most as he’s the most proven and also happens to be enjoying an outstanding season. Start by asking for Oswalt and then take it from there. As of now, I don’t think I’d do a straight up deal for any one of the other pitchers, so if he says no on Oswalt, you’d need two players back.

My friend is interested in taking up my offer of Strasburg, and we’ll discuss the particulars later during the All Star Game. I’ve already failed on Halladay and Lincecum, and still waiting to hear if Sabathia or Jimenez come through. Who from his list of pitchers would you have on your radar for a Strasburg trade? Hamels, Garza, Oswalt, Scherzer, or Nolasco. (He also has Marcum, Brett Anderson, and Bedard on the DL). He’s usually one to try and screw me with a bad deal so what would you consider fair from this list? Thanks

That’s a decent offer but I’d still lean towards no, even though you’re way ahead in steals and Figgins has been far from reliable in the other departments. It’s a lot harder to find a productive 2B/3B off the wire than it is to find a useful outfielder. Plus, at least with Figgins you know you’re getting steals, so Chone still has some trade appeal. With Lind, nothing can be taken for granted right now. If you’re just going to add him to your bench as a backup behind a far more productive player, I don’t see the point. Figgins has picked it up a bit of late so I’d give him a little more time and I bet you’ll land up with a better offer than just Lind.

First off, Carl Crawford should easily be on your All Fantasy Team over Choo.

Secondly, I have been offered Adam Lind for Chone Figgins ? I know, real exciting, huh?

Considering I?m ahead in SB?s by 28 (139 total on the year), does this seem like a good trade looking at the latter half of the season? I picked up Orlando Hudson who can slide into 2B, which is not exciting, but I also have Brian Roberts on the DL ? also not extremely exciting. Do you see Lind or Figgins either heating up?

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